Executive Briefing: Shared Governance in Strategic Decision-Making

What Is It?

Shared governance is a fundamental tradition in U.S. higher education in which the governing board and other campus stakeholders share decision-making responsibility for certain aspects of the institution’s work. The governing board retains ultimate fiduciary responsibility for the institution’s mission but delegates operational decisions and some aspects of strategic planning to the president, while faculty lead teaching, learning, and research. Staff members and students should also have meaningful pathways to contribute perspectives and recommendations.

• Effective shared governance depends on clearly defined roles, meaningful consultation, and mutual accountability.
• However, there is sometimes a gap between how shared governance operates and how some constituents believe shared governance should operate. It is a process for incorporating appropriate expertise and relevant perspectives—not shared management or consensus on every issue.